Place-Name Meanings E to J

E Eaglescliffe to Eston

Eaglescliffe (Teesside)

See Egglescliffe

Easington (County Durham)

Probably the farm of Easa's or Esa's people.

Eastgate (County Durham)

Eastgate and Westgate, two villages, three miles apart, in
upper Weardale marked the eastern and western entrances to the medieval
hunting park of Durham's Prince Bishops. It was here that hunting
expeditions called the `Great Chases' were held. Weardale's hunting
forest, known as Stanhope Park, was the second largest hunting ground
in England after the New Forest in Hampshire. The park and its forest
were full of game, deer, wolves, and wild boar and the bishops
jealously guarded their rights to hunting the area. Weardale people
were expected to provide hounds for the hunts, along with enormous
quantities of food, wine and beer. Bishop Pudsey's Boldon Buke of 1183,
records that the people of Bishop Auckland, West Auckland and Escomb
were required to help at the chases by making a temporary hall in the
forest 60 feet in length, by 16 feet in breadth, with a butchery, store
house, chamber and privy. Another responsibility of the Aucklandshire
folk was the making of a temporary chapel 40 feet by 15 feet. The
people of Stanhope were responsible for building a kitchen, a larder
and a dog kennel, and provided straw for the hall, chapel and chamber.
Stanhope was also the site of a forest court established for the trial
of poachers.

Ebchester (County Durham)

Chester signifies the site of the Roman fort called Vindomara
that once existed here (see Chester-le-Street). Later this fort is
thought to have become the site of a monastery belonging to a female
saint called Ebbe or Ebba, who also gave her name to St Abb's Head in
Scotland.

Edmonbyers (County Durham)

Simply means the byres or cow sheds belonging to Edmond.

Edmondsley (County Durham)

This means a ley or clearing belonging to an Edeman - a
shepherd.

Egglescliffe (Teesside)

Egglescliffe means either the hill belonging to a Saxon called
Ecgi or the eccles hill, which means a hill with a church on it. The
latter seems very likely as the parish church of Egglescliffe sits on a
hill-top overlooking the town of Yarm across the River Tees. Place
names containing the element eccles or eggles are thought to be among
the earliest centres of Christianity in Britain and were Christian
settlements established in pre-Saxon times. Eccles is a word of Greek
origin meaning an assembly of citizens and is closely related to the
word ecclesiaistic. Very near to Egglescliffe village we can find
Eaglescliffe, a place which owes its origin to more recent times.
Eaglescliffe's name is said to have resulted from a misspelling of
Egglescliffe on a railway station platform sign in Victorian times. As
far as we know eagles have never frequented this area.

Eldon (County Durham)

This place near Bishop Auckland means the hill or don
belonging to a Saxon called Elle or Aelle. Eldon Square in Newcastle
takes its name from Lord Eldon, who was lord of these parts in the
nineteenth century.

Eldon Square (Tyneside)

See Eldon

Elsdon (Northumberland)

An Anglo-Saxon name meaning Ell's dene or valley

Elstob (County Durham)

The stumb or boundary marker erected by or in honour of Elle,
perhaps the Northumbrian king of that name.

Elvet (County Durham)

Elvet, now a part of Durham City was first mentioned two
hundred and thirty three years before Durham was founded by the Monks
in 995 AD. It was at Elvet in the year 762 AD that a Bishop of Whithorn
called Peotwine was consecrated, suggesting that Elvet was a place of
some importance. A further indication of significance may be that
Elvet's parish church is the only historic church in England dedicated
to St Oswald, a one time King of Northumbria. The church may stand on
the site of the place where the bishop was consecrated. Elvet's name
has an Anglo-Saxon origin and was originally Aelfet-ee, the first part
of the name meaning swan and the second part 'ee' being a primitive
word for a river or 'river-island'. This name seems somewhat obscure
but Elvet is very historic. Close by is Maiden Castle, the site of an
iron age hill fort, now principally famed for the training ground used
by Newcastle United at the foot of the hill. Maiden Castle also
overlooks the site of 'Old Durham', where a Roman villa once stood. The
villa was one of the most northernmost in the Roman Empire. Elvet is
linked to the what is often thought to be the more historic centre of
Durham by the medieval Elvet Bridge, but in a way ancient and Roman
Elvet predate Durham by over a thousand years.

Elwick (Teesside)

This was the wick or farm belonging to Ella.

Embleton (Northumberland)

An Anglo-Saxon name meaning Eanbuld's farm

Eryholme (County Durham)

Eryholme is situated on the Yorkshire side of the River Tees
between Croft and Dinsdale. It is located in the part of the Tees
valley where the river makes several dramatic loops called 'holmes'.
The word 'holm' is of Viking origin and means island formed by a river.
Eryholme's name is however a corruption of its original name Erghum.
This name means shieling - a shelter for livestock, which derives from
the Old Irish word word 'airgh'. This word was introduced into Norse
Vikings who had previously lived in Dublin (Hiberno-Norse).

Escomb (County Durham)

Thought to mean either Eddi's Cumb, a valley belonging to
either Eddi or Aedi, or an Anglos-Saxon plural form of the word Eddish
meaning park. Escomb is today primarily noted for the famous Escomb
church, one of the most complete Saxon churches in the country and
arguably England's oldest church.

Esh (County Durham)

See Esh Winning

Esh Winning (County Durham)

There are two elements to this name, one ancient, one modern.
Esh is the oldest part of the name and refers to the nearby village of
Esh, which is a much older settlement than Esh Winning. A hilltop
village, Esh has an Anglo-Saxon name, meaning Ash Tree. Presumably an
ash tree formed a prominent landmark in Anglo Saxon times. Esh Winning
is a name and place of more recent origin. This was a colliery village
and the 'winning' refers not to the success of the local football team
but to the finding of coal in the area in Victorian times.

Felling (Tyneside)

Newly cleared or felled land.

Ferryhill (County Durham)

A map of County Durham dated 1646 labels Ferryhill as 'Ferry
on ye Mount'. In 1316 the name was Ferye on the Hill, but earlier still
it was simply known as 'Ferie'. Needless to say, there has never been a
ferry at Ferryhill as there is no river here and a hill top would be a
strange location for a ferry anyway. Nor is this the 'fairy hill'
visited by the fairies who are said to have lived further south on
Middridge Fell. Ferry, as it was originally called, is a reference to
the hill top location and derives from the Anglo-Saxon word 'Firgen'
meaning 'wooded hill'. Later, when this word went out of use and its
meaning forgotten, the word hill was added. Much of Ferryhill owes its
origins to coal mining and the town was famous as the site of the great
Dean and Chapter Colliery. In earlier times the place was better known
for its long village green on the top of the hill, but as early as 1354
the monks of Durham are known to have leased coal mines at Ferry.
Cleves Cross, nearby is said to be the place where one Roger de Ferry,
otherwise known as 'Hodge of Ferry' dug the pit which trapped the
notorious wild boar known as the Brancepeth Brawn. Hodge's grave is
reputedly an ancient stone coffin at Merrington church with a carving
of a stone and a spade.

Finchale (County Durham)

Finchale, on a picturesque stretch of the River Wear near
Durham was first mentioned in 792 AD when it was the site of an
Anglo-Saxon synod held to discuss matters of church discipline. Further
meetings were held here in 798 and 810. The name of Finchale is
Anglo-Saxon and means either the dale frequented by finches or a 'halh'
or heal of land frequented by this particular kind of bird. Despite its
spelling, Finchale is pronounced Finkle and is reminder that the word
Finch has changed in its pronounciation. It originally described the
'Fink-Fink' sound made by these birds. In 1104 Finchale became the site
of a hermitage inhabited by Godric an eccentric saint who was formerly
a pirate. He regularly stayed whole winter nights naked in the middle
of the River Wear with water up to his neck. On returning to the river
bank, he would roll himself in thorn bushes to stop himself from having
lusty or wicked thoughts. Occasionally it is said that the Devil paid a
visit to Finchale, while Godric was still in the river and made off
with his clothes. Sometime shortly after Godric's death, at the age of
one hundred and five Finchale became the site of a Priory used by the
monks of Durham as a holiday retreat.

Fishburn (County Durham)

An Anglo-Saxon name meaning the stream where fish were
plentiful.

Flass (County Durham)

This place near Lanchester means the marshy place.

Flodden(Northumberland)

Flodden means flooded hill, it was surrounded by marshlands
which played an important part in the battle of Flodden Field in 1513.

Foggy Furze (Teesside)

West Hartlepool only came into existence in 1847 with the
building of the West Dock near the village of Stranton. As West
Hartlepool grew it merged with the fishing village of Old Hartlepool on
the headland to the north and swallowed up the village of Stranton.
West Hartlepool became the largest settlement and the modern town
centre of Hartlepool is in what used to be known as West Hartlepool.
The former villages and farms swallowed up by the expanding town have
now become parts of Hartlepool and include Owton which means the farm
of Owfa. Stranton is thought to mean the Strand ton, that is the farm
near the coastal strand. The most intriguing place name in Hartlepool
is Foggy Furze in the south east of the town. Furze is an alternative
word for gorse so it is possible that the area was noted for its gorse
bushes, but in Victorian times it seems to have been called Foggy
Furrows. Foggy is an old word used to describe an area where coarse
grass grows and derives from Fogg an Old Norse word for grass. It is
from this word that we get the name of the grass called Yorkshire Fog.
Foggy Furze, now a part of Hartlepool is almost certainly an old field
name. It would seem to mean the ploughed fields where coarse grass grew.

Ford (Northumberland)

A ford river crossing.

Framwellgate Moor (County Durham)

Framwellgate Moor, like Gilesgate Moor takes its name from a
Durham street. The street called Framwellgate, along with neighbouring
Millburngate formed what was known as the 'Old Borough' and was linked
to the centre of Durham across the River Wear by Bishop Flambard's
Framwellgate Bridge in 1128. Millburngate took its name from the mill
burn stream, now culverted under Durham's North Road, while
Framwellgate is named after a well which supplied water to a pant in
Durham's market place. In 1729 a statue of King Neptune was placed on
this market place pant and although it was removed in 1923 and moved to
Wharton Park, it returned in 1991. The Fram Well which supplied the
pant was located on the opposite side of the river close to the
medieval house called Crook Hall, but the superstructure which covered
the well is now located alongside the A691 'Framwellgate Peth'.
Framwellgate's moorland to the north was enclosed for farming in 1802
along with Witton Gilbert Moor and Brasside Common. Later a coal mine
called Framwellgate Moor Old Pit was opened in 1838 and spurred on
population growth but the name of Framwellgate Moor and Pity Me still
recall the poor quality farmland that existed hereabouts. In recent
times Framwellgate Moor's population has expanded with the growth of
the Newton Hall housing estate. Newton Hall takes its name from a
Gerogian House which once stood here. The house, once a branch of the
County Durham Lunatic Asylum was demolished in 1926. Her Majesty's
Prison Frankland is located on the edge of the Newton Hall Estate. It
takes its name from Frankland Park, a medieval deer park that once
belonged to the Prince Bishops of Durham.

Frankland (County Durham)

Frankland, now the site of a prison near Durham. It was once a
hunting park for the Bishops of Durham. Before that it was land
belonging to a franklin, a landowner of free but not noble birth.

Friar's Goose (Tyneside)

This part of Gateshead is so named because gorse or broom also
known as 'Friar's Goose' was abundant here

Frosterley (County Durham)

Frosterley' in Weardale has a name has nothing to do with cold
frosty mornings, but in fact means 'the forester's clearing', a glade
of land once inhabited by a forester. The word Forester derives from
the Old French word Forestier and was probably introduced into Britain
by the Normans. This word has been corrupted into 'Froster' in the case
of Frosterley. The second part of Frosterley's name is 'Ley', an
Anglo-Saxon word meaning a clearing in a wood or forest. It is thought
that leys were natural glades, rather than man made clearings. Names
ending in the word ley are extremely common in the western part of
County Durham. In Anglo-Saxon and medieval times this part of the
County was a vast forest inhabited by some of the last surviving wild
boars in Britain. Over the centuries much of the vast forest has been
cleared by man, but names like Langley, meaning the 'long clearing' or
Crawleyside, 'the clearing inhabited by crows' abound. Other places
ending in ley in western Durham include Shotley, Stanley, Satley,
Waskerley, Rowley, Knitsley and Copley. These names are also abundant
in the adjoining part of Northumberland where we find Hedley, Healey,
Lambley, Slaley and many others.

G Gainford to Guisborough

Gainford (County Durham)

Gainford on the River Tees was an important Anglo-Saxon estate
centre which in later years became a centre of Viking age sculpture.
There are three theories to the name, one being that it derives from
Gegn Ford meaning the direct or straight fording point across the River
Tees. Alternatively the name could mean the ford belonging to a Viking
called Gegnir. In legend the origin of the name Gainford conects it
with Barforth (or Barford) which lies on the opposite bank of the River
Tees. It is said that there was a battle between the two places over
who controlled the crossing. During the battle the residents from the
south bank of the Tees are said to have barricaded the ford and so
became Barford, while the north side folk were the eventual victors and
gained the ford - hence Gainford.

Garmondsway (County Durham)

Garmondsway is the name of a deserted medieval village. Its
name simply means Garmund's road. King Canute is said to have made a
pilgrimage to Durham from here. See also Trimdon.

Gateshead (Tyneside)

Gateshead was at the head of the Roman Road which crossed the
Tyne at this point. The location of the place seems to explain the
name, as the old northern word gate meant road or way. Head of the road
would seem a satisfactory explanation if it were not for the Venerable
Bede, who writing of Gateshead in Saxon times described the place as Ad
Caprae Caput. This name translates not as Gateshead but as Goat's Head.
The heads of goats and other animals were often fixed on poles as the
symbol of a meeting place. In 1080 Gateshead was used as a meeting
place by the first Prince Bishop of Durham William Walcher who, called
a meeting with his people at the site. They murdered him.

Gaunless, River (County Durham)

Gaunless is a Viking name meaning 'useless'. See Bishop
Auckland

Gilesgate Moor (County Durham)

Gilesgate Moor, like Framwellgate Moor is a part of Durham and
both derive their names from historic streets. These two places were
part of the 'moorland' surrounding Durham before the land was enclosed
for farming and are today ocupied by subburbs of Durham. Gilesgate
means the street of St Giles and the second part of the name derives
from 'gate', an old Viking word for 'street'. The street called
Gilesgate passes close to the historic church of St Giles and is known
to older locals as Gillygate. This was the medieval name of the street
and is similar to Gillygate, a street in York, although Durham's
Gillygate is pronounced with as soft 'g', York's with a hard 'g'. A
church of St Giles once stood in York's Gillygate, and the same was
true of the street called Gilegate (without the s), in Beverley. In
Hexham, the street called Gilesgate is sometimes confused with
Gilesgate in Durham and was likewise known as Gilligate in historic
times. This street led to a medieval hospital dedicated to St Giles.

Glen, River (Northumberland)

Derives from the Celtic Glano meaning clean and holy.

Glororum Shad (County Durham)

One of the Farne Islands, the first element may be
Glower-oer-im, to watch over a neighbour. Glower-o'er-im is also the
name of a farm near Sedgefield. See also the Farne Islands.

Glower o'er im (County Durham)

See Gloroum Shad.

Gosforth (Tyneside)

An Anglo-Saxon name meaning Goose ford - a crossing of a
stream (The Ouse Burn), frequented by geese.

Grangetown (Teesside)

A grange is a name for a farm. It has been swallowed up by
urban expansion.

Graythorp (Teesside)

Site of a dock established by Hartlepool shipbuilder William
Gray in Victorian times.

Great Burdon (Teesside)

Great Stainton (Teesside)

Greatham (Teesside)

This name is Anglo-Saxon and may derive from greot ham meaning
the stony or gravelly homestead.

Greta Bridge (County Durham)

Greta is a Viking river name meaning stony stream.

Greta, River (County Durham)

See Greta Bridge

Guisborough (Teesside)

Perhaps the borough or fort belonging to a Viking called Gigr.
There is evidence of extensive Viking settlement in the vicinity of
Guisborough.

H Hallgarth to Hutton Henry

Hallgarth (County Durham)

Perhaps a garth or yard in a heal or corner of land.

Haltwhistle (Northumberland)

The name of this Northumbrian town in the heart of Hadrians
Wall Country would seem straigtforward enough and not surprisingly is
often interpreted as a railway station halt where locomotives blew
their whistles. In the nineteenth century Haltwhistle was certainly the
site of a Victorian railway station but the name is not in any way
connected with this and is first recorded in the thirteenth century as
Hautwisel. There are two parts to the name the first haut is Old French
and means high ground. The second element is Twisel or Twisla and is a
word of medieval origin meaning a fork in a road or river. In the case
of Haultwhistle the twisla is a fork in the river where the River South
Tyne is joined by the Haltwhistle Burn. Haltwhistle is situated on high
ground located in the fork formed by the conjunction of the two
watercourses. Other twisels in the north include Twizel near Berwick,
Twizle near Morpeth and Twizell between Chester-le-Street and Stanley.

Hamsterley (County Durham)

Hamastra's ley, the clearing of the hamastra - a corn weevil.

Hardwick (Teesside)

An Anglo-Saxon name which derives from Herd Wick - the herd
farm.

Harperley (County Durham)

Means the clearing of the harper.

Hart (Teesside)

See Hartlepool

Hartburn (Teesside)

A stream frequented by a Hart or a stag. The ancestors of
George Washington came from this village. (See also Hartlepool and
Washington)

Hartlepool (Teesside)

The name Hartlepool originally referred to Old Hartlepool, an
important medieval fishing port which merged with its Victorian
neighbour called West Hartlepool in 1966. Old Hartlepool is situated on
the Heugh or headland which juts out into the North Sea to form a
peninsula occupied by the beautiful abbey church of St Hildas. This
church is on the site of a monastery established by St Hilda and an
Irish princess called Hieu in the seventh century. The earliest
recorded form of the name Hartlepool was in 750 AD when the Venerable
Bede described the place as 'Heruteu, id est insula cerui' or the 'Stag
Island'. This may be a reference to the stag like shape of the
peninsula, but could also mean a place inhabited by Harts, or stags as
they are now known. Hart is also the name of the nearby village of Hart
and the two places together once formed part of a district called
Hartness. The le in Hart-le-pool is probably from the French definite
article and the word pool added at a later date is a description of the
natural harbour formed by the hook of the headland peninsula. See also
Foggy Furze.

Hartness (Teesside)

See Hartlepool

Haswell (County Durham)

A corruption of Haesel Wella - the hazel spring.

Haughton le Skerne (County Durham)

The name of Haughton le Skerne near Darlington could be
translated as the meadow farmstead by the bright stream or river. Haugh
is the first element of the name and means riverside meadow and is a
common feature of Northumberland and Durham place names. Ton, meaning a
farmstead is common throughout England and like haugh is a word of
Anglo-Saxon origin. To distinguish the numerous Haughtons, Houghtons
and Hettons from each other the French definite article 'le' was added
by the Norman aristocracy to help them identify the places which they
ruled. The 'le' associates places like Houghton le Spring, Hetton le
Hole and Hetton le Hill with adjacent natural features. Haughton is
identified by the nearby River Skerne, a river which adds a Viking
element to this particular place name. Skerne derives from the Old
Norse, Skirr meaning bright and clear. Skerne is also the name of a
village in Humberside named after a nearby beck.

Headlam (County Durham)

This may derive from Health-leam, meaning a clearing overgown
with heather.

Heaton (Tyneside)

Heaton means the high farm.

Hebburn (Tyneside)

From the Anglo-Saxon Hea Byrgen, a high tumulus.

Heighington (County Durham)

An Anglo-Saxon name thought to mean the farm of Hecca's people

Hett (County Durham)

Simply meaning hill, high or a hat like hill.

Hetton-le-Hill (County Durham)

Originally Heope dun a hill where hips grew. See also
Hetton-le-Hole and Haughton le Skerne.

Hetton-le-Hole (County Durham)

At the foot of Hetton le Hill. See Hetton-le-Hill and
Hutton-le -Hole.

Hexham(Northumberland)

A name corrupted from a confusing original form meaning
Hagulstald's stream. The town was the site of an abbey built by St
Wilfrid in the seventh century but surprisingly despite its importance
and proximity to Hadrian's Wall, it seems to have no Roman origins.

High Coniscliffe (County Durham)

High Coniscliffe has the only church in England dedicated to
St Edwin, a Christian king who ruled the north of England during the
seventh century. King Edwin united the kingdom of Deira (south of the
River Tees) with Bernicia (north of the Tees) into a new kingdom called
Northumbria. Edwin rose to great prominence and became the overking of
all England, but in the century following his death civil war broke out
in Northumbria between the people of Bernicia and Deira. In 761 the
Bernician leader called Oswin was murdered by a Deiran called
Aethelwald Moll of Catterick at a place called Edwinscliffe on the
borderland between the two kingdoms. Seventeen years later another
skirmish took place in this border zone at a place called Cyninges
Cliffe at which a local chieftain was killed. It is thought that
Edwinscliffe and Cyningescliffe are the same place. The Anglo Saxon
word Cyning means king, thus Cyningescliffe means the cliff or hill of
King Edwin. Later the word Cyninge was modified by the Vikings whose
word for a king was Coning, subsequently Coningscliffe became
Coniscliffe as it is still known today.

High Force (County Durham)

Most waterfalls in Teesdale, Yorkshire and Cumbria are called
'forces' and the most famous of them all is High Force in Teesdale. The
word force is a good description of the water falling with great force
over the narrow outcrops of rock to form a waterfall, but in fact the
word in this case derives from the Old Viking word Fors meaning
waterfall. High Force is so named to distinguish it from the lesser
known Low Force waterfall further downstream. Other famous waterfalls
in Teesdale include White Force, Bleabeck Force, Maizebeck Force and
Summerhill Force. Sir Walter Scott knew of the Viking place names in
Teesdale and described how 'When Denmarks raven soared on high
triumphant through Northumbrian sky, the broad shadow of her wing
blackened each catarcact and spring where Tees in tumult leaves his
source thundering oer Caldron and High Force.' The Caldron referred to
is of course Teesdale 's other great waterfall Cauldron Snout, a series
of cataracts which resemble an overflowing cauldron of bubbling Tees
water forming the highest waterfall in England.

High Shincliffe (County Durham)

Once the site of a mining village called Bank Top, the modern
name derives from Shincliffe. See Shincliffe.

High Spen (County Durham)

See Spennymoor

High Worsall (Teesside)

Worsall derives from Weorc's Haugh, the meadow belonging to
Weorc. Situated near Yarm this was once the most westerly tidal point
on the River Tees until the creation of the Tees barrage.

Holy Island(Northumberland)

See Lindisfarne

Horncliffe(Northumberland)

Means the cliff or hill in a horn or tongue of land.

Houghton-le-Spring (Wearside)

Early forms of the name suggest that spring may refer to a
sprig or young man who owned land in the area. See also
Haughton-le-Skerne.

Hunderthwaite (County Durham)

This place in Teesdale has a Viking name meaning Hunrothr's
clearing. A battle was fought against the Scots here in the eleventh
century.

Hunwick (County Durham)

The farm or village belonging to Huna.

Hurworth (County Durham)

In earlier times Hurthworth, It means the enclosed settlement
(worth) with a wickerwork hurdle or hedge (Hurth).

Hutton Henry (County Durham)

Hutton Henry's Henry was a fourteenth century man called Henry
de Eshe who owned land in the area. For an explanation of Hutton see
Hutton Rudby.

I Ingleby Barwick to Irthing River

Ingleby Barwick (Teesside)

See Ingleby Arncliffe

Inkerman (County Durham)

See Quebec

Ireshopeburn (County Durham)

Ireshopeburn in upper Weardale is a village with an
Anglo-Saxon name that refers to Irish-Scandinavians. There are three
parts to the name Ires meaning Irish, hope meaning valley and burn
meaning stream. Hope pronounced 'up' and burn are Anglo-Saxon words,
although the latter is often mistakingly thought to be Scottish. The
connection with the Irish probably comes from Cumbria, only a few miles
to the west beyond the Durham border. Cumbria was a place of
considerable Viking settlement, settled primarily by Norwegian Vikings
who sailed around the northern tip of Scotland and then down the
western coast into the Irish Sea. Dublin in Ireland became the capital
city of all Norwegian Vikings settled in Britain and many people of
mixed Irish-Norse origin settled in Cumbria and Lancashire when the
native Irish evicted the Vikings from Dublin in the tenth century.
Ireshopeburn in Weardale is thought to refer to a small colony of Irish
Norsemen originating from Cumbria.

Irthing, River (Northumberland)

This is a Celtic River Name.

J Jarrow to Jesmond

Jarrow (Tyneside)

At one time Jarrow was one of the most important centres of
European civilization, and was famed across the continent as the home
of the Venerable Bede. Bede, a great scholar and recorder of the
scripture left many great works including the first ever history of
England and biographies of saints like Cuthbert. Bede referred to his
native home as In Gyruum or as Donmuth, the second meaning the place at
the mouth of the River Don. The Don is a small rivulet which joins the
Tyne at Jarrow. Donmouth was the home of the monastery of St Paul, part
of which still exists in the form of St Paul's Church. The alternative
name Jarrow is quite unususal and is thought to have tribal origins.
Bedes In Gyruum refers to the Gyruii or Gyrwe tribe. Gyrwe means the
marsh or fen dwellers and was the name of a tribe which inhabited the
Fens near Peterborough. It is possible that members of this tribe
migrated from the Peterborough area to Jarrow. Another possibility is
that a separate tribe also called the marsh dwellers acquired their
name from a marshy land close to where the Don joins the Tyne